Troweling machine



A11g 5, 1952 H. s. BouLToN 2,605,683

TROWELING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet-l 25 20 'mh du l I u "un" I lullin. y

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Aug. 5, 1952 H. s. BouLToN 2,605,683'Y TROWELING MACHINE Filed Jan. 1 1',A .1947 l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Aug. 5, 1952' H. s. BoULToN Filed Jan. 11, i947 TRowELiNG MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 www. www www @www Patented Aug. 5, 1 952 f,1UNITEofsrAr TnovvELING MACHINE y Harold' Spulto'n, Evanston, Ill., assignor,by

direct.- and mesne assignments, vto `MasterA e Vibrator Company, Dayton, Ohio, ,al corporation Apueati'on'vianuary 11, 1947, serial No; 721,514 .1

This invention pertains to surfacing `implements, and more-particularly to a rotary power driven apparatus having` progressive circular wiping engagement over the surface upon which it operates. f i

While, for illustrative purpose, the invention is herein shown and described .as embodiedVV in a concrete troweling machine or float forfinishing concrete surfaces and hard or Amastic toppings for concrete sub bases but is obviously not limited thereto. By substitution of suitable work engaging elements, the present rotary power driven apparatus may be utilized for grinding, cleaning or scrubbing operations, or when equipped with abrasive work faces may be employed to smooth tessellated and terrazzo iioors and when equipped with felt or other sof-t friction applicators, it may be used for waxing and polishing floor surfaces.

The concrete finishing embodiment of the rotary power driven apparatus forming .the subject matter hereof, involves radial sweeps whichv are easily and quickly convertible for oatingland for finishing a concrete surface or interchanged for other sweeps adapted to other operations.l

The object of the invention isF to improve'the construction as well as the means and .mode of operation of rotary surface treating-apparatus, whereby it may not onlybe economically constructed, but will be more efficient in use, vautomatic in operation, uniform in action, having a minimum number of working parts, andbe unlikely to get out of repair.

A further and important object of the invention is to minimize the time and the tiresome labor required for hand troweling and surface finishing concrete floors and roadways, and thereby minimizing the cost of such construction. A further object of the invention is tolprovide working surfaceson opposite sides' of reversible sweeps adapted Yto performance of .'surfacingf results ofdiiferentfcharacter. r

#A further object of theinvention` is to .produce surface wiping action of one of the working surfaces different from that of the other surface, suitable for finishing and completionlofV operations previously performed by such otherworking surface.

A further object of ythe irwemionY is to provide a working surface on'each sweep ,substantially equal tothe total area of the individualsweeps. A further object of the inventionis to provide a power driven rotary surface treating appa` fs claims. (c1. 94-45) With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, theinvention intended to be protected by Letters' Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and' combinations thereof, and the mode of operation as-hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, ortheir equivalents.,v

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred, but obviouslynoty necessarily the only'form of embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a power driven rotary concrete floating and finishing machine embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of an assembled sweep disconnected from. the apparatus.

Fig. 3 isan end viewrthereof.`

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the sweeps showing the finishing blades disposed in parallel offset positions relativeto the radiiof ltheir common axis' about whichthey. oscillate, and tangential to a circle concentric thereto. D f

Fig. 5 is a similary top plan view ofthe sweeps showing the finishing blades thereof likewise disposed tangentially to a circle concentric with the axis of rotation but extending .in transverse angular relation to the radii thereof.

Figs. 6 and 7 are bottomplan views of the detached finishing bladeswhen arranged as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 respectively.' 1

Fig.,8 is an enlarged perspectiveview of the end of an assembled. sweepand guardring.`

vLike par-ts are indicated by similar characters of `reference vthroughout the several views.

,The` present disclosure is an improvement and further development ofitliat show-hand described inpendirig applicatongSerial No.V 681,711 fof Harold McCrery snow Patent. No. 2.,594,331"of` which pertinentgportions are herein shown and describedl foi-illustrative purposes, but which, per

se, form no fpart of the instant invention,1which isgdire'cted to 'the disposition of the finishingv blades ofthe sweeps. -T

, Referring tothe accompanying drawings, the

rotarysurfacing machine in Fig. 1 comprises `a` 7 the revoluble base l is a gear housing 4 surmounted by a driving motor 5.v The:l motor shown in Fig. ljis a conventional explosive engine or hydrocarbon motor. i An electric motor may.

be substituted for the explosiveY .engineggil `A:

rment. with theV oscillatoryy spider 25.

is connected by V belt 'I with a driven pulley 8 of the gear driving mechanism within the housf ing 4. A handle 9 extends upwardly and radially from the housing 4 for controlling and guiding the machine. Manually operated control devices In mounted on the handle 9 within easy reach of the operator, are connected through the handle shaft with the actuating motor 5.

The power transmission, driving and adjusting features of the instant disclosure are sub-` stantially those of the copending application aforementioned, to which referencel is made.

Obviously7 scrub brushes canbe substituted for the trcweling plates Ill-20, thereby converting the apparatus into a power operated scrubbing machine. Likewise abrasive faced elements may Y and bottom marginal flanges'. I2'and. I3. to theV inner ends of` which barsare welded short rectangular bars I4 which extend beyond the. angle bars as cylindricalv trunnion shafts I'raligned with the `center line. of the Zf-.bars .I I;.. Welded .to the rectangular bars I4 are oppositely extending rock arms I6 which serve torotativelyadjust the sweeps about their longitudinal axes by engage- Movement of the spider torock 4thesweeps. about their longitudinal axesislcontrolled by hand wheel 2S. At thefopposite ends ofthe angle bars II .there are welded thereto; inaxial alignment with the trunnions I5 rectangular collars I'I within which engage trunnion studs i8' .welded to the surrounding guard ring r3.*

The web portions ofthe angle bars II are disposed substantially coin-cident with theradii of the axis about which. the sweeps rotate. Attached to the bottom flange of the sweep bars AI I are surface plates or floats I9 which are cornparatively wide and perform .the initial concrete surfacing operations of distributing and leveling the concrete materiah; The top lianges I2 of the sweep bars IIare Somewhatwider than the bottom ilanges I3, thus enabling thefnishing or secondary plates or shoes 2to beilaterally offset preferably rearwardly in` theirdirection of rotation, relative .to .theprima'ry or float blades I9 and withtheir axes tangential to 'a circle a, concentric to the common axis of .rotation of the sweeps. As .shownin Fig-4 the finishing; blades 20 may be Aloilsetwith .their axes `*parallel to `the axes of the'companion4 primaryor float blades 119.- However lwithout changingfthe `tangential relathe blades 20. If to the contrary the blades are to be disposed in transverse angular relation to the radii and to the companion float blades I9, the channels 2l are Welded to the under sides of the blades 20 in a diagonal direction. In either event the barsZZ remain in parallel relation to Ithe sweep bars Hand fit within the channels 2I whether in paralleler diagonal relation with the blades 20, thus determining the positions of the blades, either parallel or diagonal relative to the sweeps and the radii of the common axis.-

The kfloat blades I9 are similarly attached by channelsweldedto the blades and straddling bars-22 bolted-to the sweeps. The oat blades are usually disposed with their axis coincident with the radii of the apparatus.

However the 'iioat blades may be disposed in transverse angular relation to the radii by similarly diagonally arranging the attachment channels 2 I. Such diagonal or oisetarrangement of either the inishingr blades 20 oriloating blades I9 laffordsadraw cut wiping action which m'ateriallyimproves the smoothing result of the travel of .the blades over the surface operated upon.v

Thepresent offset orangular arrangement of the blades. I.9;,or 2|! alfords. a greatly increased working surface 'on each ofthe blades. Hereto fore, the centrally disposed blades when tilted about the axis of the trunnion, shafts I5 presented but a very smallarea in contactwith the surface being treated. By offsetting the axis of the present blades in parallel relationwith the .axis of theV trunnion shafts I'5.,.; a greatly increased areapis presented in contact. with the work sury with the laterallyfoffset blades Yof the'pres'ent tion of the axes Vof the linishing-.bladesito the .g

concentricV circle. a.. the blades may. be. inclined transversely lof the companion primary 'float blades'y I9 and hence in angular relation with the radii of the several sweeps 2 as .shown Yin. Fig; 5.

To connect the blades in either position, each blade 20 is provided` on its under surface with 'a' longitudinal channel 2|. A corresponding bar 22 is attached to the a'nge I2 of the sweep bars II by volts 23. Such bars 22 lit within 'the channels 2l of the blades 20 and are secured thereto by transverse bolts 24 extending through the side anges of the channels 2 I, and through the interposed bars 22. If'the blades 2D arerto be merely laterally offset inV parallel relation with radii of thecommonlaxis, the channels 2| are disposed in parallel-relation with the margins Aof machine, substantially the entire bladeremains below the work plane,.even when tilted.

The herein disclosed and described method of assembly of the .blades I9-2'Il tothe angle bars I I formslno part of the present invention.. but is shown vmerely for illustrative purposes and is more fully described and claimed ln the colpending companion applicationof `Harold E. McCrery, Serial No. 735,627 led March 19, 1,947'.

From the above description it will be apparentA that there is thus Vprovided a device of the Acharacter Vdescribed possessing thelparticular features of. advantage. beforeenumerated as desirable.. but which p obviouslyiis susceptible of modic'ation in its formriproportions, detail con"- struction and arrangement-cfparts without .de-Y parting from the principle involved'orsacricing any of its advantages. i. j'ifj While in order "to comply with' the Vstatute the invention has lbeen described language morev or less specic as to structural features; 'it is to be understood vthat the invention is notY limited to VtheV specic features shown,A but that. the means 'and constructionv herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting' the invention into effect, 'and the invention is therefore claimed Sin any of its .forms or' modincati'on's'within the legitimate andV valid :scope of the'append'ed claims. I 1

' 'Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A power driven rotary surface treating machine, wherein a plurality of relatively angularly disposed sweeps are mounted for unison rotation about a common axis, characterized by a second plurality of sweeps disposed in relatively angular relation different from that of the first plurality of sweeps for rotation in unison therewith in a perpendicularly spaced parallel plane of rotation, reversible supporting means interconnecting sweeps of each plurality in pairs, by reversal of which the sweeps are alternately usable in different angular relations to their paths of rotation over the surface to be treated, a mounting trunnion on the inner ends of said supporting means, and a common mounting for the plurality of sweeps in which said trunnions are rotatably received.

2. A power driven rotary surface treating machine wherein a plurality of sweeps are rotatively actuated about a common axis including a pair of perpendicularly spaced working surfaces on each sweep, disposed in parallel planes of rotation in different angular relation to their direction of travel, a common mounting for the sweeps relative to which the sweeps are reversible to optionally present either of the spaced working surfaces in engagement with the surface operated upon, trunnions on said sweeps rotatably received in said common mounting, and driving means for actuating the sweeps with either of the working faces in operative position, the construction and arrangement being such that the respective working surfaces of each sweep will engage the surface operated upon in a different angular relation to its path of travel thereover with different resulting action thereon.

3. A power driven rotary surface treating machine wherein a plurality of sweeps are rotatively actuated about a common axis including a pair of perpendicularly spaced working surfaces on each sweep, one of which is laterally offset in parallel relation to that of the other in their respective planes of rotation, reversible supporting means interconnecting sweeps of each pair, and means rotatably mounting the sweep supporting means in the machine for alternative use of said working surfaces.

4. A power driven rotary surface treating machine, wherein a plurality of radially disposed sweeps are collectively rotatable about a common axis and are reversibly mounted on a central supporting member characterized by a plurality of auxiliary sweeps disposed in angularly inclined relation with the radially disposed sweeps in a vertically spaced parallel plane of rotation for unison rotation with the radially disposed sweeps for use alternately therewith upon reversal of the sweeps.

5. A power driven rotary surface treating machine, wherein a plurality of radially disposed rection of rotation of the radially disposed sweeps for unison rotation in a parallel pla-ne for alternate use therewith upon reversal of the sweeps.

6. A power driven rotary surface treating machine, wherein a plurality of radially disposed sweeps are collectively rotatable about a common sweeps are collectively rotatable about a common axis and reversibly mounted on a central supporting member characterized by a plurality of auxiliary sweeps interconnected to the first said sweeps and rearwardly offset relatively to the diaxis and reversibly mounted on a central supporting member characterized by a plurality of auxiliary sweeps interconnected to the rst said sweeps and extending parallel with, but laterally oifset relative to the radii of the radially disposed sweeps in a vertically spaced parallel plane of rotation, for alternate use upon reversal of the sweeps.

7. A power driven rotary surface treating machine wherein a plurality of divergently disposed sweeps are collectively rotatable about a common axis including a central supporting member, means rotatably mounting each of the sweeps on said supporting member, and a pair of working blades on each said sweep in vertically spaced relation to be brought alternatively into cooperative relation with the work by rotation of the sweep about its axis, corresponding blades of each pair being disposed with their axes in non-coincident vertical relation with respect to the other blade of the pair.

8. A power driven rotary surface treating machine, wherein a plurality of divergently disposed sweeps are collectively revoluble about a common axis, including a central support, means rotatably mounting each sweep thereon for rotation about their individual axes, an alternatively usable blade mounted on each of said sweeps with its longitudinal axis in tangential relation to a circle concentric with said common axis, and an oset portion on each of said sweeps to which said alternative blade is attached along its longitudinal axis.

9. A power driven rotary surface treating machine, wherein a plurality of divergently disposed sweeps are collectively revoluble about a common axis, including a, central support, means rotatably mounting each sweep thereon for rotation about their individual axes, a blade supporting portion above and below the longitudinal axis of each of said sweeps, one of said portions being in substantially the same radial plane as said sweep and the other portion being laterally oiset with respect to such plane, and blades attached along their respective longitudinal axes to said supporting portions.

HAROLD S. BOULTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,181,375 Leistner et al Nov. 28, 1939 2,255,343 Baily Sept. 9, 1941 2,277,389 Conway Mar. 24, 1942 2,351,278 Mathews June 13, 1944 

